Caught on Camera: Cop Points Gun at Unarmed Cyclist

The cop stops his patrol car, gets out, and immediately draws his gun. He points it at the camera. The man filming—a cyclist who had been trailing the officer for about 90 seconds—quickly pedals away, shouting, “I’m just riding my bike!”

That’s all we see, but the tense video has caused an uproar about police conduct in DeSoto, Texas, a suburb just south of Dallas:

The cameraman, Charles Dominguez, was riding his BMX bike in a local shopping center last Saturday when he spotted a police SUV from across the parking lot. He pulled out his phone and began filming, following the car from a distance.

Soon afterward the officer stopped his car and drew on Dominguez, shouting, “Sir, if you keep following me I’m going to take it as a threat.” Dominguez, who was unarmed, then rode away without further incident.

A self-styled police watchdog, Dominguez has a history of recording local officers during traffic stops and other moments on the job. His YouTube videos make frequent allusions to the First Amendment and the right to record in public, and his confrontations with police sometimes turn hostile (though never violent, going by his upload history). Late last month he was arrested by DeSoto police for “interfering with public duties” as he videotaped a cop interviewing another citizen.

It’s unclear what happened before Dominguez started filming in the shopping center last weekend, but the video he posted on Saturday quickly went viral. The media attention prompted dozens of people to contact the DeSoto Police Department with complaints about the officer’s behavior.

"Officers should not just get out and point their guns at people just because they’re being videoed," a retired assistant police chief told a local TV news station upon viewing the footage. "No, that should never happen."

A police department spokesperson told reporters that the incident is “currently under review” and called the officer’s actions “concerning,” but characterized him as “a fine officer and one of the best we have.” The department also released a statement chronicling the various interactions between Dominguez and local police over the past few weeks. It has not yet identified the officer.

Dominguez, who describes himself as a BMX enthusiast and often rides while shooting his watchdog videos, filed a formal complaint against the police department on Monday.

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Matt BevilacquaNews Editor, BicyclingMatt is a reporter, writer, and editor who has covered bicycling since 2014, when he cofounded a small bike magazine called SPOKE in Philadelphia.

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